Gunwale rod holders are a prerequisite for fishing. Most boats come equipped with a few, but when fishing gets serious, more is better. My 27-foot Pathfinder was equipped from the factory with six in the cockpit gunwales, two in the transom and two more near the bow casting platform, but the stretch from the console forward had none. I decided to install three additional rod holders on each side of the boat and document the process.
It had been years since I did this and things had certainly changed. New rod holder styles and specialty tools made a professional-quality installation a whole lot easier.
Gemlux is a major supplier of marine hardware to boat builders and the aftermarket. After investigating their website, I spoke with Ash Gravely, vice president of product engineering, who explained the diverse types of rod holders and new tools they have developed with the do-it-yourselfer in mind. If you are contemplating adding rod holders to your boat, what I learned will make your job easier, and give you an outstanding end result.
First, assess where you want to put new rod holders while keeping a few things in mind. Is there access to the underside of the gunwale? Limited access can restrict the type of rod holder you can install. What material was used as coring for the gunwale? Coring can influence the type of rod holder or require the use of a backing plate. In older or cold-molded boats coring is wood, in others it might be balsa or foam. Is the gunwale location you chose a structural component or an insert as is frequently the case with late-model boats? What is the intended use of each rod holder? For trolling with heavy tackle, deep-drop fishing with electric reels or for fighting large tuna from the rod holder, larger diameter, heavy-duty models are needed.
To cover all the bases, Gemlux offers standard-duty, heavy-duty and heavy-duty swivel rod holders in stainless steel and titanium. They are available in 0-degree, 15-degree and 30-degree offsets and each is available in models that are secured with screws from the top down, or screwless types that are secured from underneath the gunwale with a large diameter nut and spacer. The most time-consuming parts of this job are selecting the right rod holders for your intended purpose—within the limitations of the boat’s construction—and measuring the exact placement for each, before you start drilling holes.
The gunwale area where I wanted the additional rod holders was not a structural component of the cap and the area was cored with a composite foam. This made it ideal for standard-duty, screwless-type stainless steel rod holders. To determine the offset for each location, I referred to a diagram on the Gemlux website showing typical applications on a center console, which recommended a 15-degree offset. Open access to the gunwale’s underside made installation using the specially padded socket a breeze.
With the six rod holders, drill guide tool, and rod holder socket from Gemlux in hand, all I needed was a ½-inch-drive socket wrench, electric drill, 2-1/8-inch (54mm) hole saw and a large tube of 3M 4200 with a caulking gun. I also brought along a role of blue painter’s tape, a tape measure, pencils, black marker, a can of alcohol for cleanup and rags. It helps to have an extra set of hands and eyes for measuring, especially if you’re installing multiple rod holders, so I brought a volunteer, too.
From start to finish, the job took just two hours to install all six. Step one was measuring the location of each rod holder. I used the spring line hawse pipe as a fixed reference point and measured forward, marking the position for each of the three rod holders with tape on the port side, then repeated the process on the starboard side. I followed the curve of the gunwale so the aft-most rod holder would align with the existing rod holders in the cockpit. The one closest to the bow aligned with the cup holder/rod holder near the bow. The rod holders came with a white gasket that I did not use because I planned on bedding them with 4200, but they were an ideal template for drawing the outline of the crown of the rod holder with pencil to help position the drill guide tool.
The guide tool is a critical aid for drilling the 15-degree pilot hole. It comes with a drill bit and a long steel shaft that replaces the drill bit found in the center of the hole saw. The guide is held in place by four small self-tapping screws that anchor it in place before drilling the pilot hole. To prevent the rod holder from twisting under load, the tool includes a second guide that is used to cut a notch, which matches a key that is forged into the bottom of the rod holder.
Once the pilot hole and key notch were completed, the set screws were removed, and the hole saw with the guide shaft was used to make the angled cutout. I then coated the inside edges of the hole with 4200 and used a generous amount of the same on the underside of the rod holder crown. Once in place, I slipped the spacer and nut on from beneath and hand tightened it to make sure the angle of the spacer matched the underside of the gunwale. The special socket made hand-tightening the big nut easy, and the ½-inch socket wrench tightened it securely. I wiped off the excess 4200 that squished out around the edges of the crown with a wet alcohol rag and it was done. I also used the alcohol to clean any 4200 that got on my hands. I repeated the process five more times, and the installation turned out perfect. The screwless rod holders dressed up the boat aesthetically, and now I always have one within arm’s reach.
This article was originally published in the October 2024 issue.
